12 Movie Casting Decisions That Fans Couldn't Handle

8. Hugh Jackman - Wolverine (X-Men)

Russell Crowe was in fact the first choice to play Wolverine in the original X-Men movie, but he ended up turning it down and recommending his pal Hugh Jackman instead.

Jackman's casting was immediately controversial with comic book fans, given that the actor had precious few film roles under his belt at the time, and outside of his native Australia was known largely for his work in musicals.

Simply, Jackman didn't seem to match the comic book Wolverine one bit, and if you do some digging around online, you can still find the 20-year-old evidence of fans' doubts over the casting.

Did It Work Out?: Unquestionably, and with the benefit of hindsight, it's hard not to laugh at fans ever being concerned.

Jackman may not have been hugely physically imposing in the first X-Men movie, but he brought heaps of charm to the table and quickly established himself as the most popular X-Men movie character.

Jackman further developed and elevated the role over almost two decades of sequels and spin-offs, where he packed on the muscle to create arguably the most definitive screen portrayal of any superhero.

This culminated, of course, with his universally-acclaimed final performance as Wolverine in 2017's Logan.

Jackman was so damn brilliant in the role that Hollywood actually might leave Wolverine alone for a little while, because a hasty recast would only invite unfavourable comparisons to his exemplary work.